Silent Musings in the Dark
by SlayersGrl
Summary: Norrington reflects on the events of the movie...


I was watching the deleted scenes on the PoTC dvd today and after seeing the scene where Norrington and Elizabeth discussed her acceptance to his proposal, I got the inspiration to write this fic. Or, actually, my muse suddenly decided she would give me some inspiration after being MIA for the past few weeks… It turned more into rambling on my part, but that was the point, I suppose… Anyway, let me know what you think! I always love reading reviews!  
  
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Silent Musings in the Dark  
  
A figure slowly opened the heavy wooden door to the sparsely furnished office and stepped inside. He hung his coat on the hook near the door and then removed his hat. He started towards the desk but then changed direction and headed towards the cabinet on the opposite wall. He reached inside and removed a bottle of brandy and a glass then proceeded to sit in the chair behind the desk.  
  
Commodore Norrington leaned back in his chair and sighed. What a day… he thought. Actually, it's been quite interesting around Port Royal for the last several days.  
  
The arrival of 'Captain' Jack Sparrow had started it all. The events that followed had lead to the most feared pirate ship attacking the port, the governor's daughter being kidnapped, and the local blacksmith and Sparrow commandeering a ship of the Royal Navy to rescue her.  
  
Norrington quickly reached to pour himself a glass of brandy and swiftly took a drink.  
  
"Jack Sparrow…" he mumbled to himself. The man infuriated him. He represented everything he hated: lawlessness, complete disregard of authority, and, worst of all, he was a pirate.  
  
*So why did you let him go?* a tiny voice in the back of his head asked.   
  
He swallowed another shot of alcohol and then shook his head, hoping to rid his mind of the question. It was exactly what he had been avoiding asking himself all day.  
  
Had I been wrong to let Sparrow escape? After all, it is my sworn duty to uphold the law and to make sure criminals are punished. And Sparrow was a condemned man.  
  
Yet, he had let the man sail away on his ship and had not pursued him.  
  
He realized his decision, although it was made in the spur of the moment, was based on several different factors: the fact that he was tired of doing the right thing when it felt so wrong, the fact that one bad deed was enough to condemn a man but one good deed was not enough to redeem him, and the fact that the man had helped to rescue Elizabeth.  
  
Elizabeth… he thought as he continued to sip his drink. How long had he been in love with her? Ever since he realized what a beautiful and intelligent woman she had become.  
  
He had been reluctant to confess his feelings to her. He was afraid she would not feel the same about him.  
  
Norrington laughed softly to himself. "Looks like I was right," he proclaimed to the darkened room.  
  
But, to be honest, he had known all along. He had hoped he was wrong, but he knew her heart belonged to someone else. His fears were confirmed the moment she had accepted his proposal in exchange for him rescuing Will Turner.  
  
He truly wanted to believe her when she said her heart belonged only to him. But her eyes said otherwise.  
  
So it had come as no surprise when she had chosen Turner's side at the gallows this morning.  
  
He took another swallow of his drink, closing his eyes as he felt the alcohol burn a path down his throat.  
  
No, he hadn't been surprised that Elizabeth had chosen Will, but he was surprised that she would proclaim her choice so publicly. All of Port Royal must know of her rejection by now.  
  
"What a fool I've been…" he said with a short laugh, half expecting the empty room to agree with him. "I have lost the woman I love and a convicted criminal all in one day…"  
  
Norrington paused as that thought. Yes, this was all Jack Sparrow's fault. If he hadn't shown up, his life wouldn't be the pitiful shadow it now was.  
  
Deep down inside, he knew that wasn't true though. The signs had been there long before he had ever laid eyes on the pirate captain and he had simply chosen to ignore them. At least now he knew exactly where he stood: all alone, standing on the wall of the fort overlooking the bustling port town, with only his honor and the British flag flying overhead to guide him.  
  
The man gazed out the window of his office and watched as the Dauntless floated lazily on the dark water below. His personal pride may have been shot to hell, but he still had his pride as an officer of the Royal Navy. And besides, he had a promise to keep. He said he would give Sparrow a day's head start. Although it might be slightly longer with the hangover he would be feeling in the morning.  
  
"Well," he said, raising his glass to toast the darkness, "here's to unhappy endings and new beginnings." Tomorrow he would start a new chapter of his life, one in which he hoped to rediscover himself from wherever he had been lost along the way. And maybe, just maybe, he'd even find that daft pirate captain…  



End file.
